The present invention relates to a modular bench for supporting a sewing machine. Benches for sewing machines are well known in the art which provide a means for supporting the machine and its operating motor, as well as the pedal control unit therefore.
Depending on their particular design, the known forms of benches can be classified under two basic types with a first type being formed by a pair of lateral uprights which are commonly fabricated from cast iron of preformed sheet metal. These uprights are frequently adjustable for height and are interconnected by an upper and lower fixed cross member in which the upper one is located in a position that corresponds to approximately half the height of the uprights.
A table for supporting the sewing machine is fixed above the lateral uprights, and its operating motor is pivotably mounted on the upper cross-member, whilst the lower cross member is adapted to support a pedal control unit.
The second type of bench is known and referred to as a "column bench", and includes a supporting base portion with an upright that is commonly formed by two elements in which the lower one usually forms an integral part of the base portion. The upper element assembles in an adjustable manner in the lower element so as to provide a supporting column having a height which can be selectively varied. The upper end of the upright supports a single metal table on which the sewing machine and its operating motor are adapted to be mounted. Generally, a supplementary table is also required which is usually of the wooden type and serves solely for providing a supporting surface for a workpiece.
The known types of benches perform their intended function with a degree of satisfaction; however, they are considered to have a series of disadvantages which limit the possible ways which they can be utilized and do not provide working conditions that are considered advantages for a person operating a machine mounted thereon.
A significant disadvantage of these benches is that they are difficult to adapt to a variety of positions required by a sewing machine so as to accommodate workpieces that require different types of seaming operations. In fact, the known types of benches only provide a single position for locating a sewing machine and which according to their design cannot be altered. In practice, this has resulted in providing a bench which is designed for each specific sewing requirement. In order to satisfy the requirements of users, it has been necessary to make an excessively wide range of benches available which belong to one or the other of the two types described but include design differences in order to accommodate different positioning arrangements for the sewing machine.
Another disadvantage with benches of the known type is that they have no provision for modifying the arrangement of the bench and this is only accomplished by associating an additional bench, which substantially has the same design, therewith. This is necessary for example, when it is desired to provide the operator with additional work surface or with a larger workpiece supporting surface.
It can be readily understood that the necessity of additional benches can be quite costly and in many cases are not completely satisfactory for the positioning of one or more such benches in contiguous relation can easily result in forming a bench layout which is different from that actually desired.
A further disadvantage of these benches is that they have a structure which is considered extremely heavy and cumbersome, and in particular, the benches of the "column" type. It should also be understood that the benches of the first type described above also present problems resulting from their cumbersome nature and which are considered significant by those conversant in the art. Additionally, conventional benches lack a desirable feature of being easily moved from one location to another which can be attributed to the fact that their structure cannot be readily disassembled. At the most these benches may be sub-divided into a limited number of parts, for example, uprights and cross-pieces for the first type, and base parts and columns for the second type, but disassembled to this extent these individual parts are still extremely heavy and take up a considerable amount of space.
A still further disadvantage that is prevalent with conventional benches is that of considerable noise and the high level of vibration which develops when the sewing machine is operating. It is well known that sewing machines of the industrial type are run at a very high operating speed which creates a considerable amount of vibration both from the motor and from the machine itself. Due to the fact that the interconnecting elements between the sewing machine and motor and the bench are of the rigid type, it is quite obvious that the vibrations generated by the motor and the sewing machine will be transmitted to the bench. A condition of this nature is considered a serious disadvantage for when a large number of machines are operating in the same working area, it creates a very noisy environment and unpleasant conditions for the machine operators.
An object of the present invention is to provide a bench for supporting sewing machines which eliminates all of the disadvantages referred to above.
A particular characteristic of the bench according to the present invention is that it can be completely disassembled and reduced to a size whereby it takes up a minimum amount of space which facilitates transporting and storage thereof.
A further characteristic of the bench is that it is completely modular and can be assembled in accordance with a variety of different configurations each of which correspond to a specific requirement of the machine or to one particular type of seaming operation.